Shi Yu knew Yu Minglang would soon send people over, and she would definitely be found. At this moment, she didn’t want to see Qian and didn’t want to trouble her, so she reached out to try to hail a cab and leave.

On rainy days, most taxis go back home, and even if there are one or two, they don’t want to stop upon seeing Shi Touyu drenched. She stood in the rain shivering, not knowing how long it had been, when a car stopped in front of her, the window rolled down, and a head poked out.

"Young lady?"

Ten minutes later, Shi Touyu, holding a cup of hot tea, sat on the sofa. A short-haired woman with curled hair laid a towel on her, asking concernedly.

"Are you alright?"

"Thank you, I’m fine," Shi Touyu vaguely remembered this woman as the wife of the head of a large pharmacy in Lishi City, whom her father had once treated to a meal when she was studying here.

The relationship between the two families doesn’t even count as cooperation. The Shi Family has a large enterprise, and although this woman’s husband has developed several chain pharmacies in Lishi City, he is at most a local player, which doesn’t compare to the Shi Family.

The reason Mr. Shi invited this family for a meal was because years ago, he worked at a state-owned pharmaceutical factory in Q City, and this woman’s husband was a colleague with whom he had a decent friendship, prompting Mr. Shi to pay special attention to a few friends and ask them to take extra care of Shi Touyu.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wang," Shi Touyu felt much better after drinking a hot cup of tea.

"Why were you standing alone in the rain, young lady? I thought I recognized you but wasn’t sure." Mrs. Wang said.

"It’s nothing... I came looking for a friend, didn’t find them, so—anyway, thank you."

"I’ve heard about your family matters, sigh, that’s life, you shouldn’t worry too much." Mrs. Wang handed her another cup of tea, but Shi Touyu shook her head.

It’s not surprising for such rumors to circulate in the pharmaceutical circles, with the chain pharmacy being too small, so Shi Touyu never included this family on her list for seeking help.

Having nowhere else to go, she just sat here in a daze, her mind chaotic, thinking about the events of the past few days, feeling heavy-hearted.

Her phone had long been waterlogged and unusable, and she wondered if Qian was still searching for her at this moment?

"You said you’re here to find classmates?" Mrs. Wang initially thought Shi Touyu would pour her heart out regarding her family’s affairs and had prepared her response.

She had previously seen Shi Touyu as a child who talked quite a bit and seemed naïve, but now she appeared more resolute, not voluntarily mentioning family matters without being asked.

"What are you referring to?" Shi Touyu snapped back to attention and asked.

"I meant, were you here seeking help from classmates? I heard that the two girls from your university dorm have quite impressive backgrounds. They probably could help you, right?" Mrs. Wang asked proactively when Shi Touyu didn’t speak.

"How could they manage my family’s affairs?"

Something’s off, very off.

Although Shi Touyu was engulfed in sadness, her mind hadn’t gone numb, and she felt something was off with Mrs. Wang’s words. What was off...

Shi Touyu silently reviewed the dialogue between them in her head without missing a word. Wait, did she mention she came here to ask classmates for help? She only mentioned looking for friends; yet Mrs. Wang jumped to mention Qian’s affairs.

The naïve rich family’s daughter was once innocent, but she was never foolish; even Qian had to admire her memory. Shi Touyu immediately sensed something odd.

Mrs. Wang still thought this little girl was the same naïve chatterbox from a few years ago and continued.

"Honestly, young lady, don’t put too much hope into these campus friendships. Emotions in school are one thing; outside school, who remembers whom, especially families like the Yu Family, who are so selfish. I’m not afraid of upsetting you; have you ever heard the saying, ’The accomplished general is built upon the bones of countless’? How could someone from such a family possibly care for you?"

Mrs. Wang’s words merged with that faint voice in Shi Touyu’s mind, bringing back a feeling of unfamiliarity.

Not right, something definitely isn’t right! Shi Touyu bit her tongue to let pain help her stay rational, yet she still echoed the sentiment.

"Exactly, those people call me brother normally, but the moment something happens, they distance themselves very cleanly, especially Chen Xiaoqian. She treats me like a sidekick, commanding here and there, never treating me as a friend. When my family got into trouble, she ran faster than anyone, unwilling to lend me a single cent."

Hearing Shi Touyu speak like this, Mrs. Wang’s eyes brightened, and she revealed a peculiar smile.

"Yes, young lady, you finally understand. The friendships formed during student life are just like that. In these times, when interests are involved, which family doesn’t keep to their own concerns? Take your family’s situation for example, needing such a large sum of money suddenly; how could the Yu Family possibly extend a helping hand?"

"Then, Mrs. Wang, would you be willing to have Mr. Wang lend me some money?" Shi Touyu said seemingly innocently, yet she could taste the blood in her mouth.

Biting her tongue until it bled was the only way to prevent that strange thought from overtaking her mind.

"Sigh, truly, Mrs. Wang can’t stand by without helping, but the funds we have at this small pharmacy are limited. Even if we help you, it wouldn’t resolve your family’s issues. However, Mrs. Wang happens to know a wealthy boss who may be willing to invest in your family, providing guarantees to meet your urgent needs."

"What kind of boss is so generous? To be honest, Mrs. Wang, I’ve asked everyone I could in recent days, but people are like thin paper, no one is willing to help me. Just take my two good friends, usually so close, and now they’ve run away when problems arise. Kicked out into the rain, if I hadn’t run into you, I might have caught pneumonia."

"This boss does have ability, but... young lady, you know, there’s no such thing as free lunch in this world; for such a large sum, people aren’t going to help you out of sheer kindness, are they?"

"Tell me, what does he want? Anything I can do, we can negotiate."

"Well, it’s actually not difficult for you. You’re particularly close to Chen Xiaoqian, right? You know a lot about her affairs, don’t you?"

Sure enough, it’s related to Qian.

"Of course, we shared a dorm room during university, and even after moving out, we continued to live together. Sometimes, we even shared the same bed."

During her insomniac nights, Qian would lie beside her on the same bed, the two whispering secrets to each other.

Thinking about those times now, they really were the best moments of her life.

"Mrs. Wang will speak frankly with you; this boss had some conflicts with your friend. If you could help him get dirt on Chen Xiaoqian, perhaps your family’s issues could be saved."

"My family needs much more than a little bit; who is this boss anyway? Can he really provide the money I need?"

"It’s not convenient to say who, but this person’s capabilities are genuine. Your father’s friendship with Mrs. Wang spans many years; we don’t wish to see your family collapse like this. Child, just think about how much effort your father has put into the pharmaceutical factory over the years. How can you bear to watch the family business fail?"

Recalling her mother lying in bed and her father missing with an unknown fate, Shi Yu’s eyes grew wet. Yes, after so many years of struggle, how can she bear to see her father’s family’s downfall.

But if she could betray Qian, is there any integrity left in being a person?